Chapter 37

The coast of the Earth Kingdom was close. The plan was to land just north of Taizhou, the force under Adachi and Kyoshi heading south towards the city to try and lure the mercenaries out. Kyoshi would battle Jian Feng, with Adachi and his men providing support should it be needed, and hopefully one half of the conspiracy against the Fire Nation would be subdued.

But against such a foe, there were still plenty of reservations.

Kyoshi was seated in her room, legs crossed and eyes closed in meditation. She timed her breath with the slow rock of the ship, her energy low and controlled within her. As her mind cleared, she turned her attention to the battle to come; as much as she hated to admit it, Jian Feng was a skilled opponent, and it was doubtful that he had been idle while securing his rule over Taizhou. Hopefully, her Firebending and fans would be enough to even the odds.

She took another breath, her energy flowing through her body before returning to its resting spot. It would not be long until they landed, and after that there would be little time for meditation.

"Kyoshi." She opened her eyes, the astral image of Avatar Kuruk appearing before her. "I can sense that there is still some turmoil within you."

"If this is about what I said to Adachi on the barrier island," she said. "I am trying to make peace with that. Jian Feng is my responsibility, and I need to face him… Adachi just needs to accept that."

"His nation is threatened just as much as the Earth Kingdom," Kuruk pointed out. "I'm sure you understand that, but isn't it possible that you are still allowing your anger to cloud-"

"No, it's not," Kyoshi said quickly, her eyes narrowing. "There is no anger, no desire for vengeance. Jian Feng needs to be brought to justice, nothing more."

"I am a part of you, Kyoshi," Kuruk returned her glare before continuing. "You cannot lie to yourself as easily as you believe you can lie to the prince."

"I'm not lying."

"Perhaps you aren't, but you are still allowing your anger and negative emotions to rule you. Would you be like him, and let your thirst for vengeance turn facing him into an obsession?" Kyoshi was silent for a long while. Even if she had not thought of Jian Feng for some time, she had quickly regained her desire to see him defeated once she had learned of his involvement in the attack on the Fire Nation.

"I… I will not." She said finally. "I may still feel some anger towards what Jian Feng did to my family, but that is not the reason why I am going out to face him now." There was another pause before Kuruk spoke again.

"Let's hope that you can maintain that sense of justice once you do face him." Kuruk said, slowly fading away until Kyoshi was alone again. She was not alone for long, for there was a knock at her door.

"Kyoshi?" Adachi called from the hallway. "We're just pulling in for landing. Are you ready?"

"Just about," Kyoshi replied, rising to her feet. "Give me a few minutes, and I'll be right out there." The lack of response told Kyoshi that Adachi had accepted her answer and was moving to check up on the rest of the squad. Kyoshi crossed towards the table that contained her belongings, as well as a set of light body armor. The armor was the first item she addressed, strapping it on before tucking her fans away. Next were a few pots of face paint Ty Jun had provided, Kyoshi opening them and preparing to apply her other face.

The face of the Master of the Fan. The face of the Avatar.

It was a slow process, Kyoshi dabbing away at her face until it was completely white. As she worked, she could feel her energy subsiding, pooling within her in anticipation of the coming battle. It was an odd sensation, her energy shifting so suddenly at the slightest application of the face, but she would just have to get used to it eventually. Once she was finished with the white, she moved next to red and black, gently brushing the colors along her face. It would take a minute or two for the paint to dry, but that gave her more time to steel herself for facing Jian Feng.

I will show them that I am the Avatar, she thought. I will not stand for rebellions and murderers, but I will not kill them unless I have no choice. She nodded, as if to confirm her conviction. Feeling that the face paint was dry, Kyoshi grabbed a pair of gloves before heading out on deck, blinking a few times just to get used to the change in light.

The soldiers and sailors were busy securing the ship for landing. The water along the coast would be too shallow for the ship itself to land, but a few smaller boats had been brought out to carry them to shore. Adachi was there, suited up in full Fire Nation armor, directing the soldiers as they loaded supplies and weapons into the boats. Kyoshi sidestepped a few sailors as she approached Adachi.

"We're just about to launch," he said, turning to face her. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes," Kyoshi said, patting her side to indicate her fans. "You?"

"I'll be fine with what I have." He replied, looking back to the boats as they were lowered into the water. "We may be slightly undermanned, though; we'll need someone to guard the boats in case thieves try to steal them."

"I could always come up with some kind of disguise," Kyoshi offered. "If you bring them up onto the beach, I can cover them in sand and disguise them as dunes."

"What if we need to beat a hasty retreat?" Adachi asked, one eyebrow raised. Kyoshi said nothing, instead shrugging as if to agree to Adachi's observation. "Ty Jun was able to provide us with some extra man, so security should not be much of an issue."

"If you say so." The boats were loaded, soldiers getting into position in preparation for the trip ashore. Adachi was about to head towards the lead boat before Kyoshi took him by the shoulder. "Adachi?"

"Yes, Kyoshi?" another pause.

"I just wanted to say…" she started. "Whatever happens, I just wanted to say that I have always considered you my friend, and thought we might not agree on this… I am still willing to follow you to wherever this path leads us." There was a pause before Adachi smiled a little, reaching up and squeezing her hand.

"Likewise," he said. "Come on, we best be going." Kyoshi nodded, following Adachi as he made for the lead boat. Once they and the other soldiers were secured, they cast off from the ship and began the trip to the coast. Fortunately, the wind and tides were on their side, and progress was smooth as they neared the Earth Kingdom.

"A good sign," one soldier said as they approached. "It means that the spirits are on our side."

"Well of course," a second piped up. "We've got the Avatar with us, don't we?" there were a few chuckles from the members of the Fire Nation, but Kyoshi did not join in. Her eyes remained focused on the approaching shore, her hands tightening slightly as they slid up on the sandy shore.

Kyoshi was the first out of the boat, the hem of her uniform dragging slightly in the tide. She advanced up the beach as the Fire Nation soldiers unloaded their supplies, scanning the dunes and trees for any signs of human activity. Spotting none, she hurried back down to where Adachi and the others had assembled.

"The way is clear," she said. "I'll stay up front so I can alert you all to incoming attacks."

"Think there might be an ambush?" Adachi asked, one eyebrow raised.

"No, but I would rather be cautious in case I'm wrong." Kyoshi replied, looking back up at the tree line. Taizhou was less than a day's march south, so it was likely that Jian Feng had some scouts patrolling the border regions for intruders. "Come on. We're wasting too much time." Adachi nodded to his soldiers, and the group made their way up the beach and into the forest.

Walking among the trees, Kyoshi let a bit of her energy flow out of her body and mingle with the soil beneath. It was wet and less dense than the land of the Fire Nation, a familiar sensation that Kyoshi had longed to feel again. Under any other circumstances, she would have been happy to do so, but now was no time for happiness. She needed to focus, to prepare herself for facing off with the man who had attacked her family, the man who had attacked the Fire Nation.

Focus… that's all I need right now… Focus.

Slowly, the sound of the ocean faded away, replaced by a cool breeze coming in from the east. Birds and other small animals twittered as the force advanced inland, the pleasant surroundings doing little to cut the tension. Every sound, every snap of a twig or shuffle of leaves, could be an ambush waiting to happen, and even with her soul opened to the world around her it would take some skill for Kyoshi to spot an oncoming attack.

Kyoshi swept her eyes across the path once more, scanning the underbrush. Nothing, not even the signs of loggers and other civilians moving through the area. Perhaps Jian Feng forced them to move closer to the cities, she thought, climbing up onto a rock to get a better vantage point. The column pulled to a halt for a moment, giving her more time to keep looking.

"See anything yet?" Adachi asked.

"No, not yet," she replied, sliding down the rock. "And I can't feel any activity besides small wildlife. I'd say we still have the element of surprise on our side."

"And when we reach Taizhou?"

"I'll challenge Jian Feng and work from there," Kyoshi replied, turning to start off back down the path. "Come. We can still make it before nightfall if we hurry."

"I suppose we're going to hurry back to the boats in the dark?" one soldier asked.

"By the time this is all over, we might be able to stay in Taizhou before heading back to the ship." No one seemed to share Kyoshi's confidence, but they did not make this known as they continued walking. The ground dried out as they walked, no longer sated with the damper air closer to the ocean, and this made it easier for Kyoshi to reach out with her energy and sense the world around her.

Still, there was nothing. This advanced seemed much easier than she had feared.

"Sir!" one of the Fire Nation soldiers said, causing Adachi and the rest of the column to halt. "I think I saw movement in the trees."

"Where?" Adachi asked as Kyoshi returned to the group to trace where the man was pointing. She searched the trees, but did not see anything but a few leaves being pushed around by the wind.

"I don't see anything," she said. "It could just be your eyes playing tricks on you."

"Maybe…" Adachi mused. "But let's not risk it. Men, defensive positions; we'll still move forward, but hopefully this way we won't be caught off guard." The soldiers nodded before fanning out slightly, breaking off into small groups of two to watch each other's back. Once they were in place, the force continued to move forward, at a slower pace due to the shift in formation. Kyoshi reached out with her energy as far as she could, sweeping her head back and forth to try and take in as much of her surroundings as possible.

Why can't I sense anything… she thought. Nothings blocking it… maybe there really is nothing out there. Unlikely, but it was a better explanation than any other one she had.

Unless Jian Feng's men had found a way to mask themselves from being detected in some manner. Kyoshi had never tried anything like that before, but that did not mean it was impossible.

"Sir, I saw something again." The soldier from before called, pulling the advance to a halt. "I think we're being followed."

"Kyoshi?" Adachi asked. Kyoshi spread her energy out and gave a small stomp. Sure enough, there was a small bit of resistance she could detect from… something. It could have been a larger animal moving around, like a wild Ostrich Horse, but it was equally likely to be a scout or a potential attacker.

"I felt something out there," she said. "I'm not sure what it is, though."

"Then it's a fair bet that we've been spotted," Adachi replied. "Can't spread us out more without compromising the formation, though. We'll just have to stay on alert the further we-"

"Contact!" a soldier cried, ducking to the side just as a boulder tumbled out of the woods towards them. Kyoshi slid forward and stomped, a shield rising up and blocking the boulder from hitting the formation just as other Earthbending attacks began raining down on them.

"Well, looks like there was an ambush," Adachi muttered before sliding into a defensive position. "Prepare to receive attackers. Remember, the one identified as Jian Feng is to be taken alive, if possible." Kyoshi reached down and pulled out her fans, flicking them open as the first of the attackers presented themselves. Most would be Earthbenders, and all of them were dressed in the same brown and green armor that Jian Feng seemed to favor.

"I don't see him," Kyoshi said. "He might be waiting to make his entrance later."

"Then we'll just have to keep these men occupied." Adachi leapt forward and kicked, a fireball racing out and exploding among the trees. The Earthbenders ducked out of the way and attacked again, a hail of stones peppering the Fire Nation soldiers as they tried their best to dodge. Kyoshi spun on her right foot, fans held away from her body, and managed to swat away many of the attacks heading for her before swiping down and creating a curtain of fire between her and the enemy.

"It's the Avatar!" she heard one Earthbender cry as she rushed forward. Kyoshi vaulted the flames and kicked, another fireball exploding among the ranks of the ambushers. A few were knocked down by her attack, but many more still stood and prepared for Kyoshi as she landed. Two stepped forward and punched, jagged spears of earth shooting out at Kyoshi before she deflected them with her fans. With another spin she sent the rubble back at her opponents, forcing one back while managing to interrupt the second's attempt at a follow up. Before the man could react again, Kyoshi rushed forward and brought her fan down on his head, her hand shaking slightly as the attack connected.

The assembled Earthbenders began to pull back, trying to find easier targets and avoid confronting the Avatar. Kyoshi gave a snort and charged, fans held out behind her as she rushed in. Soon, she was in among the enemy, thrusting her hands down to knock them off their feet. That task complete, Kyoshi spun through the air and kicked down, a stream of fire trailing her and slamming the nearest of her opponents into the dirt. Another tried to attack her, but a quick thrust merely sent the boulder crashing back into the man's face, dust and rubble exploding around him. Holding her fans perpendicular to the rest of her body, Kyoshi spun once more to create two discs of fire, the flames searing clothing and armor and sending more of the ambushers running.

"You!" a familiar voice called from behind her. "You may have humiliated me once, but I, Wong-Chu, will finally take my revenge on-"

Kyoshi did not even bother turning around as she flattened the man with a pillar of earth to the face.

Kyoshi prepared to turn and link back up with Adachi's force, but was cut off as three Earthbenders, led by an older man wearing an eyepatch, stepped into her path. "Trying to run off, are we?" the leader asked, smirking as Kyoshi drew back slightly.

"I'd advise you to get out of my way," Kyoshi growled, bringing her fans down over her torso.

"Can't; I'd miss out on the better part of my reward if I let you run off." With that, the man jumped forward and stomped, cracking the earth beneath Kyoshi's feet. Kyoshi sidestepped the attack before snapping one of her fans shut and throwing it, aiming for the leading Earthbender. He ducked out of the way, but the man behind him was not so lucky, the metal fan colliding with his forehead and knocking him out cold. Kyoshi darted forward to retrieve her fan, but the third Earthbender cut her off while the leader struck with a trio of boulders. Unable to react properly to this new assault, Kyoshi shifted her energy to roll with them instead, staggering back as the boulders collided with her body. After regaining her balance, Kyoshi slid into a defensive stance as the men advanced on her, her eyes darting from one to the other.

The leader attacked again, sweeping his arms forward to create a wave of dirt to swamp Kyoshi. A quick stomp launched her into the air, Kyoshi once again slicing downward with a fire curtain as she descended. The other man tried to defend himself, but his shield was not strong enough and he was knocked away by Kyoshi's flames. Kyoshi landed and kicked out, trying to catch the one-eyed Earthbender, but her attack missed as the man sidestepped and countered.

"I guess they were right in letting you train," the man said, smirking again. "You've got a fire within you." Kyoshi said nothing as she launched another attack, a fireball racing past the man's head. Sidestepping again, the man stomped and launched a pillar into her stomach, driving the air from her lungs as she collapsed to the ground.

No… I will not lose so easily. Kyoshi attempted to roll to her feet, but the one-eyed Earthbender had pinned her legs and one arm to the ground. Leering, the man approached her and pinned her to the ground with his own body. "Let's see you put that energy to good use."

Kyoshi's eyes blazed with fury. Rage trumped even instinct in her mind, everything around her drowning out. Letting go of her fan, she swung her free arm up and took hold of the man's face, shifting her palm over his eye before releasing her energy.

The man screamed as Kyoshi's hand was enveloped in fire, the flames searing his skin beneath her glove. He tried to stand up to escape, but once she was free Kyoshi grabbed him with her other hand and once again burned him. As she stood, she forced the man down on his knees as he tried desperately to pry her hands from his face, Kyoshi's glare and energy only intensifying with every struggle he made.

She only let go once the man stopped screaming. Her attacker done away with, Kyoshi gathered up her fans and charged back into the fight.

…

Adachi had lost track of Kyoshi soon after she had created her curtain of fire and charged into the enemy ranks. Instinct told him to call her back, so they would not be separated in the face of the enemy, but it was too late as the Earthbenders closed in.

"Try to break through the ring," he said, sliding forward and punching at the first Earthbender to get through Kyoshi's curtain. "With any luck, we can regroup and retreat back towards the ship." The soldiers nodded in reply, coordinating their attacks against the Earthbenders in an attempt to keep them off balance. As the Earthbenders were still struggling against Kyoshi's flames, they could not react to this new attack, and many were cut down or forced to retreat back to the safety of the forest.

Adachi spun away to dodge a wave of earth, kicking out at his opponent in response. The Earthbender blocked, giving room for a second attacker to leap up and hurt a pair of discs at Adachi. Batting away the first one was no issue, but the second clipped his shoulder and knocked him back slightly, enough for the two Earthbenders to regroup and push forward. Adachi countercharged, leaping over the two ambushers and kicking downward, nailing both of them in the back with well-placed fireballs. He spun as he landed, catching several of the attackers off guard with savage blows to the chest, and Adachi's soldiers advanced to take advantage of the gap he had formed in the ranks.

Adachi turned just as a second group of fighters advanced from the woods. Some were armed with spears and swords, and after their fellows launched a series of Earthbending attacks they charged forward, weapons raised. Adachi rolled forward to dodge the Earthbending, raising his arm to deflect the first melee attack. As he batted away the sword, Adachi made a quick cut to burn the man's arm, loosening the grip on his weapon. Adachi kicked the man away and recovered the sword, just in time to parry a strike from a second fighter. Most of the other Fire Nation soldiers stayed back, content to blast away with their Bending while Adachi held off the others.

After dispatching another foe, Adachi stepped back towards his ranks. "We're losing momentum." he said.

"They just keep coming in!" the nearest soldier cried, dodging another attack from the newly arrived Earthbenders. "At this rate, they'll just keep wearing us down."

"I can see that." Adachi surveyed his men for a moment. Several were showing signs of fatigue, and quite a few more sported injuries of some kind or another. "Shift formation again; our goal is to break through the enemy lines and get back to the boats, nothing more."

"But what about the Avatar-" the man never finished before a boulder struck him, sending him tumbling through the trampled battlefield. Adachi cursed and leapt away, just as a second attack struck where he had just been standing.

The attacker was a tall man, dressed in the same armor as the others save for a few extra gold markings here and there. His hair was tied back into something resembling a topknot, as if he were trying to mimic the dress worn by Fire Nation generals and officials. He smirked slightly as he saw Adachi, his gray eyes narrowing into slits.

By the way the others treated him, it must have been Jian Feng.

"So, the Avatar brought along a prince of the Fire Nation," Jian Feng said, stalking forward until he was squaring off with Adachi. "I'm in a generous mood today, so I'll let you and your men go free if you'll leave the Avatar to us."

"The Fire Nation does not negotiate with rebels," Adachi countered, holding his sword out in front of him. "You are wanted for conspiracy against the throne."

"Am I?" Jian Feng chuckled. "I guess that man Honsou's plan did not work out as well as he had hoped." Adachi's eyes widened, and he almost dropped his sword.

"Honsou… Honsou is the traitor?" he asked.

"If that's what you call him, then who am I to question you?" Jian Feng's chuckle died down as he slid into a fighting stance. "But since you rejected my offer, I am not in the mood to discuss peculiarities such as that right now." With that he punched, a series of columns jutting out at Adachi. He sidestepped and charged, punching two fireballs at Jian Feng before sweeping his sword out at him. Jian Feng sidestepped the attack before stomping, the resulting pillar knocking the blade from Adachi's hand. Adachi stepped forward with another series of attacks, Jian Feng dodging beneath the prince's kicks and punches.

Jian Feng slipped his hand forward, just enough to cause the ground beneath Adachi's foot to slide. Before he could totally lose his balance, Adachi shifted his energy forward and rolled, two jets of fire blossoming from his fists once he broke out of the roll. Jian Feng's first earth shield was enough to block one of the attacks, but the second jet collided with his side and knocked him down for a few seconds, allowing Adachi time to recover. With a growl Jian Feng swept his hands out towards Adachi, the curtain of stone knocking the prince back.

I need to attack faster if I hope to get around his defenses. Adachi darted right, keeping his body low in order to keep his speed up. Jian Feng tore several boulders from the ground and launched them at Adachi, the prince ducking under the first two before vaulting the third and kicking out. The fireball exploded against Jian Feng's body, but did not cause any lasting damage. Just as Adachi landed, he found himself launched into the air on a small platform of earth, but a few quick blasts of Firebending were enough to slow his descent and allow him some time to recover.

As Adachi righted himself, Jian Feng had recovered several shards of destroyed rock, squeezing his hand shout to sharpen their edges. That task complete, he charged forward again, hurling the missiles towards Adachi as the prince dodged as best he could. Leaping over one stone, Adachi swept out towards his opponent once more, a line of flames separating them and slowing Jian Feng's attack. Seeing his opening, Adachi leapt through the flames and kicked out, the fireball once again knocking Jian Feng back but failing to injure the man. Adachi furrowed his brow as he slid into a defensive position, Jian Feng chuckling as he got into a position of his own.

"Not bad," he said. "I have to say you've given me a better fight than I could have imagined." Adachi said nothing, stepping forward again and unleashing another blast which Jian Feng blocked. "Oh? No defiance, no speech on how I've threatened your people? I had always heard that you Firebenders were very protective of your own, but that doesn't appear to be the case."

Again, Adachi remained silent, leaping out of the way as Jian Feng counter attacked with a wave of stone. "Or maybe you're just focused on helping the Avatar," Jian Feng continued, sneering. "That makes more sense; she has you and your men so thoroughly whipped that you're incapable of speaking for yourself. Pathetic." Adachi furrowed his brow, but said nothing as he dodged another attack from Jian Feng. "Why do you keep following her? The Avatar's only interest is what they believe will bring balance, not whether or not it helps men like us. You seem like an intelligent man, why can't you see that she's merely using you for her own purposes?"

"That would only be true," Adachi said, hurling another fireball at his enemy. "If you hadn't collaborated with traitors and attacked the Fire Nation."

"Still holding to that belief?" Jian Feng shook his head. "And here I thought you'd be a little smarter." Jian Feng reached forward and closed his fists, Adachi jumping away just as the earth would have closed in around his feet. He rolled away and punched, but Jian Feng darted to his left and rushed in, hurling a wave of earth at Adachi. Adachi backed up, but not fast enough before the wave seized him, slamming him into the ground with enough force to drive the air from his lungs.

Pinned against the ground, Adachi could only struggle helplessly as Jian Feng leapt forward for a final strike.

…

Kyoshi had dispatched another enemy fighter just as Jian Feng struck Adachi. The entire world froze as the boulder collided with the prince, sending him skipping across the ground. She wanted to reach out, to try and slow him down, but she could not move. Adachi landed in a heap outside the area of fighting, too far away for Kyoshi to see if he was moving.

Adachi was down. He still wasn't moving, and Kyoshi could feel the rest of the world dropping out. He'd taken hits before in their sparring matches, he would get back up… he had to. What felt like an eternity passed, and yet he still remained motionless.

Get up, Adachi… get up! When Adachi still failed to get back to his feet, Kyoshi snapped her fans shut and rushed towards him, but she did not get very far before a wall of earth cut her off. With a cry she slammed her shoulder against the wall, leaving several deep cracks, but it was not enough to break through to her friend.

"No…" she whispered, trying again to smash through the wall. She was almost through when her opponent spoke.

"Avatar." Jian Feng growled. Kyoshi stopped her struggles, her hands and jaw tightening. Jian Feng… he's holding me back… he did this.

She had said she would bring Jian Feng back alive. Given the circumstances, she was ready to make an exception.

"Jian Feng." She replied as she turned to face him.

"You should have left your little friends out of this," Jian Feng continued. "I did not want to risk you getting injured in a larger fight, and I've wasted time having to get rid of them."

"If you were not a coward and faced me alone, perhaps they wouldn't be beating your men down."

"You give the Firebenders too much credit, Avatar. And what do they really matter? This is between you and me-"

"You should have thought of that before you agreed to attack the Fire Nation," Kyoshi slid back in preparation to attack Jian Feng. "You should have thought of that before you tried to seize power and took over Taizhou. You should have thought of that before you had your men stab my mother."

"You don't realize it, do you?" Jian Feng got into a stance of his own. "All of what you accuse me of doing is on your head, not mine." Kyoshi's glare intensified as Jian Feng continued. "Time and again you and your past lives have struck against me, humiliated me among weaklings like your friend. You believe that will be the end of it, that I will just take a loss of my properly and livelihood so easily?! I am not like you, Avatar; I am not some coward who roams around trying to manipulate and connive to 'restore balance'; I am taking what is mine, and I do not hide behind lies like your ilk does!" Kyoshi's hands tightened again, her energy welling up inside her. It would be easy, charging forward and laying in to this man. Kyoshi's vision blurred slightly, her breath coming out in ragged snorts as she leaned forward.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glint of light among the dust kicked up by battle. A sword, discarded by some fighter early on, just between her and Jian Feng. Thoughts flooded Kyoshi's mind, her eyes darting from her opponent to the weapon.

"You're right," she growled, letting the tension and energy flow from her body. "I am not like you, Jian Feng." With that she charged, launching a fireball ahead of her to throw Jian Feng off guard. As the man blocked the fireball, Kyoshi leapt towards the sword, her hands grasping around the hilt as she rolled past Jian Feng. He let out a short gasp and turned to face her, whipping his right arm around to smother her with a wave of earth.

For Adachi, and for my family!

With a cry, Kyoshi hauled the blade up and around, throwing her body forward so she could close the distance between her and Jian Feng. One chance to end this quickly; Jian Feng realized this, but had no time to react to block the attack. He let out another gasp as the sword sunk into his stomach, his original attack dropping away as his energy was scattered. Panting heavily, Kyoshi got back to her feet, tugging at the sword to force Jian Feng to his knees. The man tried to dislodge the blade from his stomach, but to no avail.

"I am not like you, Jian Feng," Kyoshi said. "But let me tell you of another mistake you made." She leaned in closer, her eyes boring into Jian Feng as the man stopped struggling against her.

"I am not Kuruk." Kyoshi twisted her hands around and yanked the sword free, Jian Feng toppling back like a limp bushel of wheat. Before he hit the ground, Kyoshi shifted her energy and stomped, striking him in the face with a boulder and knocking him away.

Jian Feng was dead. Many of the Earthbenders still standing had seen the man fall, and disheartened began to break away from the fight. The Firebenders rallied and counter attacked, chasing after the ambushers with fire and gathered weapons.

Soon, all was quiet. Kyoshi stood alone, looking down at the broken body of the man who had tormented her in her thoughts. He was dead, he would never attempt to murder another innocent again.

But why am I not happy?

Kyoshi stood there for a while, staring down at the body. Now, he did not look so intimidating, grey eyes staring blankly up at the sky. One man who had caused so much pain and destruction, and here he was, broken and pathetic.

Broken… Adachi!

Kyoshi snapped out of her trance, turning and rushing over to Adachi. Several other soldiers had spotted her, following after her as Kyoshi knelt to see if her friend was okay. "Adachi… Adachi!" she cried, turning him as gently as she could.

"Kyoshi…?" Adachi mumbled. "Is he gone…?"

"J-Jian Feng's dead," she said, biting her lip to hold back her tears. "I-I had to kill him. I-I was going to-" Adachi silenced Kyoshi by touching his hand to her lips.

"You did what you had to…" he said, giving a small cough. "We all did…"

"No, Adachi… You didn't have to do this. I could have fought him myself." Biting her lip was of no use, Kyoshi's tears flowing freely now as she looked to the other soldiers. "Please, we need to help him."

"All of our medical supplies are back on the boat," one soldier said. "We can help him there, but it's a ways away." Kyoshi did not even let the man finish before standing up, raising her hands in the air to create a stone stretcher beneath Adachi.

"Kyoshi…" Adachi asked as she began to push him towards the coast as quickly as she could.

"Don't worry Adachi," she said. "They said they can help you. Th-they can help you." She looked down. He did not appear that injured, but Master Lau Dan had said that not all injuries from Earthbending were readily visible. Stop panicking. It's alright; they can help him. "You didn't take that bad of a hit. You'll be fine." There was a pause before Adachi chuckled.

"No offense… but you are a terrible liar."

Just one more chapter, and this arc of the story will be wrapped up. I must say, it's been quite a ride already, but we've still got a lot of story to cover.

I don't own Avatar or its related characters. Reviews, favorites, and follows are appreciated, and if I screwed something up please let me know. And if you enjoy the story, check out Counseling for more Kyoshi stories and the Kyoshi Rising TvTropes page (link is on my profile).